Feed saving attachment



April 8, 1952 Filed Sept. 28, 1950 William 0. Cumming INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED {STATES PATENT OFFICE William 0. Cumming, Cordele, 6a., assignor of fifty per cent to Louie D. Stephen, Cordele, Ga.

Application September 28, 1950, Serial No. 187,205

2 Claims. 1 This invention relates to improvements in at tachments for feed boxes.

An object of this invention is to provide an attachment for a conventional feed box, particularly the type of feed box which is employed for feeding chickens, said attachment comprising an upwardly opening trough which is provided with a hanger to hold on the upper edge of one of the sides of the feed box and a means to pivotly connect the trough on the feed box so that it is capable of swinging movement or pivotal movement upwardly whereby the feed which would normally be wasted is collected in the trough and whereby the collected feed may be emptied through the normal feeding opening of the feed box into the body of the feed box.

Ancillary objects and features of importance such as the economy realized in using the attachment, will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical feed box having two of the attachments provided thereon;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the attachment swung upwardly in such a condition that the collected feed therein may be emptied into the feed box; and,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a slight modification in the means of pivotally connecting the attachment to the feed box.

In carrying out this invention there is illustrated by wayof environment a substantially conventional feed box generally indicated at It and provided with ends I2 and I4. Sides I6 and [8 are provided on the ends l2 and I4 and there is a base 20- integrally connected with the sides l6 and IS. A handle 22 extends between the ends l2 and I4 and is attached thereto by any suitable, conventional means.

An inwardly directed flange 24 is provided on the upper edge of the side I6, and in inwardly directed flange 26 is provided on the upper edge of the side l8. The space above the flanges 24 and 26 constitutes feeding openings for the chickens or other type of fowl.

As disclosed in Figure 2 there is an attachment 30 provided on the side 16 of the feed box and there is an attachment 32 removably disposed on the side l8 of the feed box. Each at- 2 tachment is identical in construction. The attachment 30 consists of a trough which has an open top 34 which opens vertically upward when the attachment is disposed normally on the side l6 of the feed box. Said attachment 30 consists of end walls 36 and 38, side walls 40 and 42, together with a base 44. An inwardly directed flange 46 partially closes the open top 34 (Figure 2).

A hanger 48 is fixed to the upper edge of the wall 42 and consists of a longitudinal strip integrally connected therewith. This hanger is adapted to seat on the inwardly directed flange 24 to thereby support the trough on the side of the feed box It). The inner surface of the wall 42 in engagement with the outer surface of the side It of the feed box constitutes a stop to prevent more than the desired amount of pivotal or swinging movement of the trough with respect to the feed box. When the wall 42 is in engagement with the side [6 of the feed box, the open end 34 faces vertically upward.

A means is provided on the inner edge of the platform 48 to hingedly or swingly connect the trough to the side wall [6 of the feed box. In this instance the connecting means consists of a strip 50 integrally connected with the hanger 48 and directed toward the trough, there being an acute dihedral angle defined between the strip 50 and the hanger 48.

The modification of Figure 4 differs from the described attachment 3!! in that the trough 52 is provided with a circular bearing 54 instead of the strip 50. This circular bearing is disposed around a hinge pin 56 which is attached to the end I4 of the feed box II).

In operation the chickens feed from the feed box was is usual. Instead of the wasted, dropped feed falling to the ground,-it falls into the troughs of the attachments, so that it may be readily emptied into the feed box after feeding time.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination a feed box having a side with an inwardly extending flange at the upper edge thereof and a feeding opening above it, an attachment to save feed which would ordinarily be wasted over said side, said attachment comprising a feed collecting trough having a wall with a longitudinal hanger laterally projecting from one upper edge thereof and disposed on the flange at the upper edge of said side, means including said longitudinal hanger hingedly connecting said feed collecting trough to said side wall for swinging movement into said feeding opening, said trough having an open top through which feed passes when the trough is swung through said feeding opening to empty said trough into the feed box, the wall of said trough to which said hanger is attached being fiat and fitting flush against said side of said feed box thereby constituting a stop to limit. the swinging movement of said trough and retaimsaid trough in such position that said open top open vertically upward.

2. The combination of claim 1, and said trough having a bottom wall vertically spaced from the bottom 01' the feed box when said trough is connected to the said side of said feed box.

WILLIAM O. CU'MMIING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED sums PATENTS 

